Mong Thongdee who ranked top of the paper airplane competition in Thailand

A 12 year old stateless boy, Mong Thongdee, from the northern province of Chiang Rai has received a document from the Foreign Ministry for traveling to Japan to take part in a paper airplane competition.

Ms Madurapochana Ittarong, Deputy Director-General of the Consular Affairs, has granted the traveling document to the stateless boy as requested by the Interior Ministry to authorize the boy to represent Thailand in the origami paper airplane contest in Chiba, Japan, next month. She said the boy was required to return to Thailand within 3 months upon departure.

The 12 year old stateless boy was born to a couple of Burmese migrant workers in Chiang Mai province. He currently receives education at a primary school in the province and has not obtained Thai citizenship as his parents are aliens.

Since the boy ranked top of the paper airplane competition in Thailand, the Japan Origami Plane Association sent him an invitation to join the contest in Japan. However, the Interior Ministry earlier found difficulties in issuing him the traveling document due to the nationality issue.